A Change in Mission
by Disgarded
Summary: This snippet takes place sometime after the first reboot movie as Kirk and the crew are doing easy missions hoping to prove themselves. A mission is changed at the last minute, and it isn't good news.


_(This almost became a story about Jim's brother dying, and Jim having to come to terms with the fact that he never really got to know him the way he would've liked to. This is not going to be updated - what you see is what you get.)_

* * *

><p>McCoy glared down at his soup. He couldn't help but wonder if the kitchen had a different definition for "noodle" than he did.<p>

"What'd you get, Bones?"

He looked up as his friend joined him. "Allegedly, it's chicken noodle soup." He poked the gelatinous mass uncertainly with his spoon. "Seems a little on the thick side."

Jim didn't appear too concerned. Knees bouncing, he took a large bite of his sandwich, and glanced around the room. "Looks like the soup was a popular choice, though," he said before he'd even finished swallowing.

Leonard almost rolled his eyes at how cheerful his friend was. He seemed to exude energy, and he was in too good a mood for this early in the day. "Will you quit that? It's too damn early."

Jim grinned. "Quit what, exactly?" he asked, eyes bright and alert.

"Damn it, Jim, do you have to be such a morning person?"

"First, have you ever noticed that you say 'morning person' the way other people say 'bastard'? Second, technically there's no morning in space, or night, for that matter. We use a timetable modeled after Earth's rotation around -"

Leonard waved a dismissive hand at his friend; now he was just chattering to annoy him. "Save the technical lessons in chronology for your fan club. You know what I meant."

Jim scoffed. "Fan club? Have you been talking to Rand again?"

"Chapel, actually. She mentioned how a couple of the ensigns in Communications think you're" Leonard raised his fingers to quote "'dreamy' or something. Apparently they can't wait for you to decide you need to lend a hand down there."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Anyway, it's not" now Jim raised _his_ fingers to quote "'early', Bones. It's after lunch. You've just got your internal clock mixed up from staying up all night to help with the Andorians."

Leonard sighed. "Glad that's over."

"Another successful mission down," Jim agreed. After having spent a week helping a colony of Andorians clean up a bio waste hazard they'd inadvertently created, they were finally finished. Another mission safely behind them, they were currently enroute to the Qu'tir System for what Headquarters had assured them as a routine diplomatic mission.

"What's in the Qu'tir System again?" Bones asked. He'd wanted to attend the briefing, but Jim had decided to let him sleep in after that last mission. Besides, from what he had gathered from the little he'd already heard, it probably wasn't going to be a mission they'd need his skills for.

"Senari VII," Jim answered. "It's the first anniversary of their joining the Federation, and they've invited us to join the festivities."

"Senari VII," Bones muttered. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"We talked about them in our History of the Federation class first year, Bones. Back then they'd already been in the Federation about five and a half years, so it's been nearly eight years now."

"And they're just getting around to celebrating their first anniversary now?"

"Their solar years are different. They run about one year to our eight Earth years."

Leonard huffed. "Can you imagine three years of school there? I'd go insane."

Jim chuckled. "I'm guessing they're used to it. Plus, they age a lot slower than we do. I've been assured that the party won't last years, though. A week is all we've been asked to do."

"A week-long party, huh? Tough mission." Leonard grumbled, which caused Jim to chuckle softly again.

"It's a diplomatic mission, Bones. Our first ever. It's a good sign."

Leonard had to agree. So far they'd spent the first six months doing what Leonard privately described as "Federation Errands". Go here, pick up this, take it over there, clean this up… it would be nice to do something that might actually involve a little more interaction.

"You know, I'm glad we're getting a change of pace, but I don't think any of our previous missions have been meant as punishment."

"I know," he said softly. "I've never said they were punishment. I just think they're still testing us out, watching how we perform."

Leonard knew he was right, but he still thought it was ridiculous. They'd saved the planet – that should be enough of a performance test to satisfy any admiral. Still, Leonard heard what his friend wasn't saying. Jim was the youngest captain in the Fleet, and the only one to go straight from training to captaincy. It was no secret that Headquarters was keeping close watch on them – not just to see how the crew performed, but to see how Jim Kirk, specifically, performed as captain.

"You're doing good, Jim. Anyone in headquarters who doubts that is an idiot."

Jim huffed. "Yeah. We'll see."

Suddenly a comm chirped – what was it with people interrupting meals on this ship? – a voice came from Jim's hip. "Uhura to Captain Kirk."

Jim grabbed his comm and activated it. "Kirk here. What's going on, Uhura?"

"Incoming transmission from Headquarters. Looks like a mission brief."

Jim frowned. "We already received one of those. Open it."

A second's delay and then Uhura's voice came again. "It's a new mission, Captain. They're requesting we set a new course for the Drunei System."

"The Drunei System? I'll be right up, Uhura, thanks. Kirk out." He deactivated his comm and started cleaning up his meal.

"We picking something up on the way, you think?" Leonard couldn't remember where the Drunei System was in relation to where they were going.

Jim shook his head. "No - opposite directions. And not too close, either. Could be a rescue… but that wouldn't make sense because we can't be the closest ship." He shrugged. "I'll find out."

Leonard watched his friend go. Whatever it was, he had a bad feeling about it. But then, he tended to have a bad feeling about everything.

* * *

><p>Jim got to the bridge in record time. "Uhura, can you put the mission details on my console?"<p>

"Aye, Captain."

Jim sat and glanced through the vital details. A small research outpost on Deniq was having communication trouble. Their subspace relay was failing and Starfleet wanted them to go immediately to lend what assistance they could. Jim frowned. It definitely didn't look urgent enough to warrant pulling them from their current mission. Especially when there had to be at least three ships between here and there that were closer. He scrolled through it again, mind racing to figure out what it could mean.

"Captain, there's another incoming message from Headquarters. It's under the same mission heading, but it's marked private - your eyes only."

Jim glanced back at Uhura in surprise. Missions didn't usually come accompanied by private transmissions. This should be interesting. "I'll take it in my ready room."

"Chekov, go ahead and lay in a course for the Drunei system, Warp 2." After waiting for the acknowledgement, Jim stood, and headed for his ready room, nodding to his first officer.

"Spock, you have the conn."

* * *

><p>Kirk sat behind his desk and activated the incoming message. He steepled his fingers and leaned forward. He didn't bother sitting straight or attempting to look official – he knew that this far out they tended to receive recorded messages only. Once they got closer to the subspace relay – if they managed to get it working – they'd have sametime communications. The screen flickered, and then Admiral Pike appeared.<p>

"Captain Kirk, by now you will have received the details for your mission in the Drunei system. The Admiralty would like to– oh hell, kid. I can't do it like this."

Jim frowned, concerned.

"Jim, this isn't easy to say, but you need to know the reason the Enterprise was chosen for this mission. I know you were enroute to another mission, and I'm sure you can imagine you weren't the closest ship, but there's a personal element that you need to be aware of.

"It's about your brother, George Samuel Kirk. I don't know if you were aware, but he was working at the research station there on Deniq. I'm afraid he's passed away, Jim. I truly regret that you're getting this in a recording, I really do, kid. The station manager has collected your brother's possessions, and we thought it only right that you get the opportunity to go get them in person.

"The mission itself should be easy enough. Have your crew take a look at the relay, while you take a few days. I'm really sorry about this, Jim. Comm me back when you get this."

The screen went blank.

* * *

><p>Leonard finished up his lunch before heading to his office. Even though he wasn't due to come on duty for a few hours yet, he wanted to stop by and check on his staff. While he was there, he caught a ship-wide transmission announcing the mission change. It was Chekov, and there was no explanation was to <em>why<em> the mission had changed, only an announcement that it had, along with a new timetable for when they would be arriving and how long they were expect to be there. Apparently a subspace relay station needed a handyman... it didn't seem to Leonard like something the Enterprise would normally be assigned to. And yet, Chekov ended the transmission with no explanation as to the reason for the change. And glancing around, Leonard could see a few bemused frowns on the faces of his staff; it seemed that everyone was wondering what was going on.

Since he still wasn't on duty, Leonard decided to take a stroll up to the Bridge. They might not be announcing it officially, but he was sure that Jim would tell him what was going on.

When he stepped out of the turbo lift, everything looked completely normal. Almost _too_ normal, in fact. Each person present was diligently manning their station. Jim was sitting in his chair, perusing what appeared to be some sort of report. Uhura briefly glanced at him as he entered the Bridge, but other than that, no one appeared to even notice him.

He approached her quietly. "We in trouble or something?"

She turned to him with almost an exaggerated professionalism. "Not that I know of, Doctor."

He raised an eyebrow, but decided he'd get it out of Jim easier than Uhura anyway. He approached the Captain's chair, and cleared his throat.

Kirk glanced up at him in surprise. "Oh, hey Bones. I didn't hear you come in."

Leonard frowned. "Turbo lift's not exactly quiet. Maybe you need to get your ears checked, Captain."

Kirk rolled his eyes. "My hearing's fine; I was just a little distracted. What's up?"

"Can I talk to you privately a second?"

Jim sighed, but stood anyway. "Yeah, sure. Let's go in my ready room." He turned towards the science station. "Spock, you have the conn."

They headed into the cramped room just off the bridge, and Jim took a seat in the chair behind his desk, gesturing for Leonard to sit in the only other chair in the small office. He faced Leonard expectantly, as if he had no clue why his best friend, and key staff member would show up for an explanation after an inexplicable mission change.

Leonard raised his eyebrows. "Well? Aren't you going to tell me what's going on? I figured you'd be dying to explain why we were suddenly pulled from our mission and set on another midway."

"There's a research station in the Drunei System. Their subspace relay is malfunctioning, and we're going there to see if we can lend a hand."

"That's it?" Leonard watched Jim carefully. He could tell that the question was the one he'd expected, but Jim still looked guarded. Something had set him on edge.

"That's it." Jim confirmed.

"Why us? I thought you said we weren't the closest ship."

Jim sighed and leaned back in his chair, running his hands over his face. "I'm already getting tired of explaining this part. I should've had Chekov include it in the mission annoucement. My brother worked at that station, apparently. He passed away, so they're sending us so I can go collect his personal effects."

"Shit, Jim, I'm sorry -"

"Don't worry about it." Jim cut in before he could finish. "I didn't really know him. Haven't see him in years. Starfleet's just being sentimental." He stood. "Anyway, I've got some reports to finish. I'll catch you later."

Leonard stood as well, and barely had the chance to nod before his friend was out the door and stepping back onto the bridge. He knew Jim had told him the truth, that much was clear. But it seemed to Leonard that his brother's death was bothering him a lot more than he wanted to admit. Still, Leonard supposed everyone dealt with these things in their own way.

* * *

><p>The next day found Leonard tinkering with his PADD, waiting for the staff meeting. He took a quick glance around the room. All the senior officers and bridge crew were already sitting around the table in various stages of small talk or busy work. All but Jim, who still hadn't appeared.<p>

Leonard looked down at his PADD again. It'd been seven minutes – not that he was counting, or anything. But damn it, he had things to do and none of them included scrolling through his to-do list for the next ten minutes while Spock and Uhura practiced quietly flirting in the most logical way possible, and Chekov and Scotty talked theoretical physics and its application to interplanetary teleportation while Sulu listened on, reading from his PADD and occasionally interjecting something that would make Scotty say things like "you bet your arse!"

The door finally slid open, and the room quieted as Kirk stepped in and briskly started the meeting. "Right, so… Scotty?"

Just like that, the senior officers began their departmental reports, one by one. Leonard noticed, though, that Kirk barely seemed to be listening. He'd nod and comment where appropriate, but there was something… off.

After the last report the Captain explained their current assignment. Starfleet had requested them to stop at an outpost on Deniq in the Drunei System. This particular outpost was a small research station with a subspace relay attached. Unfortunately, the relay had begun to fail, making subspace communications increasingly difficult, and Starfleet wanted them to swing by and do what they could to help. If all else failed they were to take the latest research data from the outpost and transmit it themselves back to headquarters. If they couldn't restore communications, Starfleet would send a tech team to do it, which, as Scotty exclaimed, "could take months!"

While Leonard had little doubt that everyone was think it, Spock was the one to finally voice the question.

"Captain, there are several ships in closer proximity to Deniq. Did Starfleet offer any explanation as to why we were chosen?"

Leonard watched Jim adopt his 'public relations' face; the one that was devoid of any expression except honesty and professionalism.

"The Enterprise was assigned because my brother, who was working at the station, has passed way. They wanted to give me the opportunity to collect his personal effects."

"Then our assignment is logical."

Leonard couldn't stop himself; he rolled his eyes at Spock. Of course the green-blooded bastard's main concern was the logic of the situation, not the fact that their captain had lost a brother.

The atmosphere in the room had shifted slightly. Before, many of them were no doubt wondering at the mission, and whether or not the captain was hiding something, but now that they all knew, there was a tension in the room as everyone seemed to be trying to figure out what to say, especially given Jim's strange matter-of-fact demeanor. It was a few seconds, but the tension in the room made it feel much longer.

"I'm so sorry, Jim," Scotty started.

"Please everyone, it's okay. I barely knew my brother, and it's been years since I've even heard from him. I had no idea he was even working in space. It's fine."

Leonard could tell his friend was in full 'public relations' mode now, working as if to diffuse a situation. He wasn't sure whether the other occupants of the room actually bought the 'this doesn't really bother me' act, or not, but the tension did lessen considerable as everyone finally had the answer they'd been seeking.

Jim ended the meeting before anyone else could chime in.

With the briefing done, the senior officers drifted off to their quarters, or wherever they went after their shift. No doubt Scotty was going back to his engineering playground, and probably taking Chekov with him. Leonard, however, hung back a minute.

"Jim, can I have a word?"

Kirk glanced up quickly from the PADD he'd been diligently pretending to scrutinize since the meeting broke up. "Sure, what's up, Bones?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

Ah, and there it was. The Jim Kirk patented look of feigned confusion. The same one he used when confronted by an angry boyfriend – it said, "Voluptuous redhead? What voluptuous redhead?"

"You may be able to hide it from them," he jerked one thumb vaguely towards the door, "but I know you. This is bothering you more than you're letting on. I'm here if you want to talk about it, kid."

Mask still firmly in place, Jim only said, "I'm fine." before heading out the door, leaving Leonard standing there.

Once the Enterprise was safely in orbit over Dentig, the crew convened for one last staff meeting before beaming down to the station.

"Spock, Chekov, and I will beam down to meet with the research station staff. They're going to give us a brief tour, and then Spock and Chekov will take a look at the relay, and whatever data they have on it to see if they can determine the problem, and whether or not we can get it fixed. I'm going to meet with a Commander Daniels and collect my brother's things, then I'll join Spock and Chekov at the relay."

Leonard grimaced. There was no way he was going to let Jim go collect his brother's effects by himself. Still, he knew better than to contradict him in the middle of an official meeting. At least when it came to something this personal.

Once the meeting was over, and everyone began to return to their stations, or prepare for their departures, Leonard approached his friend.

"Jim -"

"Let me guess, Bones, you want to come with."

Leonard frowned. "That's the long and short of it, yeah."

"Fine. I'll make Spock aware of the change." Seeing what was probably an incredulous look on Leonard's face, he added, "What? It's not a big deal, Bones. You want to come? Fine, come if it'll make you feel better. It's not like I'm going to lose it and need to be sedated, but if you don't believe I can handle it, come see for yourself."

"Damn it, it's not that I don't think you can handle it, it's that you shouldn't have to. This isn't something friends let friends do alone."

"Sure, Bones. Like I said, it's fine."

Leonard left the room scowling darkly. Jim was doing everything in his power to be 'normal', but the more he tried, the more Leonard suspected that things were anything but.


End file.
